3 Atlanta Falcons who must deliver against Seattle
By Nick Halden
2. Atlanta’s pass rush
The biggest part of Atlanta’s defense that helped Falcons fans feel better about their team even after a loss was the pressure the Falcons created. The Falcons put Jameis Winston on the turf four times in week one and could have easily finished with six sacks or more in a great week one game for the Atlanta pass rush. While it may not have ended how they wanted it to the Atlanta pass rush did their job in week one.
Week two is a completely different story it felt as if Matthew Stafford had all day in the pocket simply scanning the field waiting for Cooper Kupp to create enough space. Whether it is Grady Jarrett on the inside or rookie Arnold Ebiketie the Atlanta Falcons pass rush has to find life again in week three.
A large part of the reason Atlanta was unable to win close games last season was how little pressure the defense could register. Going from dead last in sacks in 2021 to four week one sacks signaled things were changing in Atlanta. After a rough week two, however, there is a reason to wonder which week was the outlier for Atlanta?